Recipe: Mama Mia it's Lasagna!

I have never really made lasagna before, but I gave it a try yesterday. It turned out really good (and all Core)! It looks like a long recipe, but really didn't take to much time to assemble. I think next time I will add mushrooms

Melanie's Meat Lasagna

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 tsp. olive oil1 medium chopped onion
4 gloves garlic minced

1 (26 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

3 tsp. Italian Seasoning (divided)

2 tsp. garlic powder (divided)

2 tsp salt (divided)

1 tsp pepper (divided)

15 oz container Fat Free ricotta cheese

1 lg. egg, beaten

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained & squeezed very dry

2 cups or more shredded Fat Free Mozzarella cheese (divided)

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles cooked

1/2 c. grated Fat Free or soy Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a heavy pan, brown the ground beef. Drain excess fat and set beef aside. Pour oil into pan and add chopped onion and garlic. Cook till soften, around 5 minutes. Add the cooked beef and crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Simmer, uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook noodles as directed on package; drain.

Combine ricotta cheese, beat in egg, drained prepared spinach, 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 cup Fat Free or Soy Parmesan cheese.
Spread about 1 cup of the cooked meat sauce in the bottom of a 9"x13" baking pan and top with 3 cooked noodles. Add layer ricotta cheese mixture, spreading lightly with the back of the spoon. Layer 1 cup of meat sauce on top of cheese. Repeat one more time and top the last noodles with remaining sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until top is browned and bubbling freely. Add remaining Fat Free Mozzarella cheese to top and bake until melted, about 10 minutes.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes for cutting and serving.

Makes around 12 servings.

Tales from the Scale: Getting the momentum going

So, I changed my weigh-in day to Friday and guess what...3.2lbs down! Wooooo Whooo! 202.4lbs, awesome.
I looked back on my week on Core and I realized that I didn't deprive myself one bit. This was my week:
Thursday: Went out with coworkers and had 3 glasses of wine. I managed to stay away from the greesy popcorn and the urge to order takeout! Yay Me!
Friday: I honestly don't remember what I did that day. I don't think I went out, looking back on my planner, looked like I ate great.
Saturday: Worked out like A MAD women, earning probably 10 APs. That night I went out with my girlfriends. We went to a great Thai place and had some wine and presecco. I had my dish steamed with sauce on the side and brown rice--CORE BABY other than the sauce which I didn't have much of.
Sunday: Went for a nice long walk with my WW Buddy, yay AP's.
Monday: We had a celebration for 2 coworkers and I had cake. A piece of delicious chocolate cake with raspberry filling and then a piece of red velvet with cream cheese icing...oh and a mimosa or two. Totally worth the points!
Tuesday: I went out to eat Mexican. Mexican is probably my most favorite food ever. I lost count of how many tortilla's I ate and sipped a sinful margarita.
Wednesday: Typical Core day. Went to my spinning class and ate great.
Thursday: Was home sick, so I tried to drink lots of water instead of eating.

Even with all of the eating out and cocktails, I still lost weight! Everything I had that wasn't Core, I counted the points so simple!
That's the beauty of WW, it really is NOT A DIET! It's a lifestyle. This is something that I can do for the rest of my life, no joke. I may not have amazing weigh-ins every week, but I know that if I keep on this road, I will keep losing and never see it come back.

A change of Seasons and new Beginnings

Well people, I think Fall is officially upon us and for me, that means work is gearing up. Tonight is our Opening Night of the 2008-2009 season, scary. It's kind of like the first day of school...kind of.
Fall always reminds me of a new beginning. In the past that meant a new year of school, the start of Football season, my birthday and a change to my favorite season. I tend to look at the beginning of Fall like some people do January 1st, its a new slate for me.
In recognition that I need a jump start and a fresh beginning I thought about the WW meeting that me and my friend attend. I love her, she is fabulous! We try and walk each week to earn some Activity Points and catch up about life. Its the one activity that I do with a friend that DOESN'T revolve around food. So last weekend, we were walking around Central Park and discussing the meeting, leader, and the other people there. I was a bit put off last week since she put me on the spot about The Core program. I was the only one in the meeting that follows this and it is rarely mentioned, only in passing about how people are too scared to try it! As we walked I said that I particularly didn't like our leader, she was odd and I didn't feel a good connection to her. Not to mention there was some people that also attended our meetings that I didn't care for. I was relieved to find out that she felt the same. The leader always talks about her weight loss of 40lbs and how she did it on the old plan. That's fine and dandy, but what about now? What can I do now to lose the weight? We both want someone that is a bit more up with the times. So, since we like the location, we are sticking with that, but will be weighing in on Friday's. I am hoping that this leader and the people who attend are a good fit. Here's hoping for a new change and fresh beginning.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pumpkin all around!

This is one of my favorite soups to make in the fall/winter. Plus I have an obsession with Pumpkin. Maybe I need Pumpkin Anonymous??
Anwways, its Core as long as you use Soy or FF Parmesan. I also use my immersion blender right in the pot, works great!

Tuscan Pumpkin-White Bean Soup

1 sprays olive oil cooking spray, or enough to coat pot
1 medium onion(s), coarsely chopped
15 oz canned pumpkin
3 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
15 1/2 oz canned white beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
6 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Coat a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat. Add onion, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans and oregano; simmer 8 minutes.
In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. (Note: Make sure not to overfill blender in order to avoid splattering.) Return soup to pot and reheat; season with salt and pepper.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

POINTS® Value: 2 Servings: 6

From http://www.weightwatchers.com/

Tales from the Scale: Back to the beginning

Well, yet again I had a weigh in that wasn't so steller! However, this time, I knew it was coming. I had a good friends Bridal Shower this past week and I completely lost track. This continued into the week, and for some reason couldn't snap myself out of it! So, I am back to where I started 205.6 lbs. Funny huh?

Today at my meeting we talked about our internal voice (something I am trying to change!). How sometimes what we say to ourselves is what will come true. Mine? I will never make it to goal. This is something that always runs through my mind and I need to silence this voice. I can do this. Hell, from my highest weight of 230lbs, I have lost almost 25lbs! That is amazing if you think about it. I also need to focus on the fact that this is for my health. My BMI puts me at obese. OBESE! How scary! I don't feel obese, I certainly don't think I look it! But according to the rules, I am and that is scary and sad at the same time. I need to push aside the negative voices and feelings and focus on becoming HEALTHY! Food is never the answer so I need to stop letting it be.

Tales from the Scale: FINALLY!

Yes everyone, it finally happened. I lost weight. 3lbs to be exact. The receptionist looked at me and was amazed! I was expecting to lose weight this week as I have been on a plateau for about a month. I knew my body needed to catch up with what I was doing. I was really excited. It was nice to know that my hard work has paid off and the program does work. I had a good week on Core. I really didn't change much. To be honest, I think I went over my WPA's! I had company in town, we ate out and went bar hopping last Saturday. I then decided to stuff my face on Sunday night after they left with Mexican takeout, yeah, still working on that binging thing. I did change to Flex over the weekend. I think that's what helped the most. I may continue to do that, especially if I have weekend plans that involve a lot of drinking or eating out. That way I can eat whatever I want, but just count points.
All in all a good weigh-in and week!

Recipe: Core Dinner in a Flash

I have made this meal 3 times now and it officially has become a staple in my house. Its quick, simple, and tastes great.

I need a name for it...still working on that.

1 cup cooked brown rice (I like Trader Joe's premade packets of Brown rice, pop in the microwave for 2 minutes, and its done!)
1 Amy's California Veggie Burger chopped up
1/2 cup to 1 cup frozen pepper stirfry mix
Salsa to coat

Mix together and enjoy! You can also add some FF or soy cheese and other flavorings such as garlic and Mrs. Dash.